Lighting is one of the most essential elements of good interior design, yet quite often it is only considered as an after thought or, even worse, overlooked altogether. It can be argued however, that lighting is just as important if not more so than any other design choice.   What good after all, is a beautiful colour palette or bespoke cabinetry if lighting is ineffective or impractical?

Vintage Mid Century Rattan Floor Lamp AU

Lighting can be both Practical and Aesthetic

Light can, quite simply, transform a space. However, it’s not just a question of being able to see or not. Light has an obvious practical application, but it can also be used to great aesthetic effect.

1970s French Georgia Jacob Table Lamp in hard curved resin AU

Interior Lighting Should be Functional yet Layered

Lighting should neither be too harsh nor too dim, it should be designed with the function of a room in mind and, ideally, it should be layered. Not only does good lighting contribute to the sense of comfort in a space, but it also has the ability to make that space more atmospheric, even giving it a touch of the dramatic. Lighting should possess both versatility and adaptability. After all, light entering the room will change according to the time of day, the season and even the weather, so it makes sense to plan electrical lighting always keeping natural light and its movement through a space in mind.

Vintage Perspex and Brass Globe Lamp Angelo Lelli AU

Enhance Natural Light in an Interior Space

In recent years, the benefits natural lighting brings to our lives have been appreciated more and not just by architects and interior stylists. It is clear that natural light does something to our souls that electrical light fails to achieve, miraculous invention though it was. Consequently, many interiors are now designed to allow as much natural light as possible to enter a space whether that’s through the use of glazing or roof lights or simply positioning windows deliberately so that they are south or west facing.

Vintage hand carved mahogany curved floor lamp AU

Four types of Light in Interior Design

There are four main types of man-made lighting: ambient, task, accent and decorative. Ambient lighting provides the foundation for all the lighting in a room; it’s the primary light source and provides a first layer. Task lighting, in contrast, is focused on one area in particular, that where a certain task needs to be performed. Accent lighting has been specifically designed to draw attention to and highlight art or artefacts and decorative lighting, the fourth layer of light, does exactly as its name suggests; it adds the final decorative touches to an interior and complements the other layers of lighting. It can be eye-catching and flamboyant or muted and complementary.

Pair of vintage Italian brass desk lamps

Vintage Sustainability

AU Bespoke’s collection of lights and lamps is entirely vintage and therefore recycled. However, good design credentials and hand-craftsmanship lasts beyond even several life times, thus providing truly sustainable lighting solutions. Rewired using silk flex twist, each and every light or lamp - whether designed for a floor space, to hang from a ceiling or to sit on a table top or desk - has been fully PAT tested.

To browse AU’s collection, please click here.

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Mid-century modern interior design

Born in Prague in 1913, František Jirák was a Czech architect and designer who studied at both the School of Master Joiners (Mistrovská škola stolarská) and the Special School of Interior Design and Architecture (Specialna skola pre vnutornu architekturu). Under the guidance and leadership of Jindřich Halabalou, one of the most celebrated and influential designers to emerge from the Czech Republic, Jirak spent eleven years working at the renowned United Arts & Crafts Factory, or United UP (Spojene UP zavody), in Brno.

Durability and Distinctiveness

It is for this period for that his contributions to design are most well known. United UP was one of the most influential companies in Czech history. Admired for the simplicity of its designs, but also the durability and the distinctiveness of the furniture they produced, the company put the Bauhaus philosophy at the very centre of every piece they produced and its designers always sought to combine fine art aesthetics with everyday function.

Physical Integrity

At United UP, there was also an unfaltering commitment to high quality, most especially as far as the physical integrity of the products was concerned. An attention to quality might seem at odds with the fact that the pieces were also marketed to the masses, but even so, metal and solid woods were always used. This and the simplistic, minimal style of the furniture are reasons why they are still proving so popular as collectors’ items today.

Vision and Interior Styling

It might be surprising to learn that it wasn’t the Swedes who first started the trend of setting out their stores as if they were fully furnished interiors, but United UP. They understood that their customers had an inherent need to visualise what the furniture could look like in their own homes and they set up their shop interiors accordingly.

Craftsmanship and carpentry

As for Jirák, in 1948 he left United UP in order to relocate to the Slovakian part of what was then Czechoslovakia. As an expert in furniture design, especially one who favoured wood, he became the Head of the Development Department in the Regional Directorate of Woodworking Companies. His skills as both a designer and a carpenter were highly valuable in an industry that was rapidly evolving. From the end of the 1960s up until his eventual retirement, he also worked closely as a product designer for a national company called the New House (Nový domov) in Spisska Nova Ves. It was during this time that Jirák designed the Lollipop chair and it is for this iconic piece of furniture that he is certainly best known today. Vintage František Jirák Lollipop chairs covered in vintage taupe sheepskin AU Bespoke Given this nickname because their flat shape was said to resemble a lollipop, the 22 – 19 chair was manufactured by Tatra Nábytok Pravenec in the former Czechoslovakia. The factory was known for exporting about 60% of its chair production, but it was decided that this particular model should be sold domestically. Made of curved plywood, the backrest and seat of this chair are connected to each other with screws that remain visible. Normally upholstered in thick fabric, the chairs legs are tapered in a pin shape. It should be noted that there is a slight variation on the 22-19 model: the 22-19-1. Manufactured instead by Západoslov Bratislava, this model had an additional upholstered seat cushion and a marginally different backrest. For various reasons, not much is known about Jirák compared to other mid-century modern designers. As a designer who lived behind the iron curtain it is his designs themselves more than any formal record that provide testament to his innovation, his creativity and his dedication to carpentry. And luckily for us, the lollipop chair lives on and not just in the Czech Republic; a sweet reminder of the extraordinary talent and craftsmanship of one of a number of esteemed mid-century modern Czech designers. Continue reading